Tips for Implementing Knowledge Management Systems

Tips for Implementing Knowledge Management Systems

• Identify tacit knowledge first - Many organizations find that identifying their team's tacit knowledge is the biggest hurdle. If you implement a knowledge management system in your department or company, start with a brainstorming session with your team to get their ideas flowing on how to capture this.
  
• Start with a small team - It's very easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge that could be shared. Start with a small group, in one department, and grow from there. This will help you figure out what information you'd like to keep, and how you'd like to organize it.
  
• Help staff feel comfortable about sharing knowledge - It might be hard to "sell" knowledge management to your team. After all, you're asking them to share their hard-won knowledge and experience, the very things that make them valuable to the company. (This can be a powerful incentive for people not to share their knowledge!)
  
  Make knowledge sharing part of the company culture, and something that EVERYONE does. This will help make team members feel more comfortable about getting involved. And, consider bringing knowledge sharing into your formal approach to performance management, so that people are rewarded for sharing information freely.
  
• Make it as easy as possible for your team to share information - Everyone is busy. If being part of a knowledge management program is difficult or time-consuming, people may not want to be involved. The easier it is for people to participate, the more likely you are to succeed.
  
• Plan for retiring team members - Retirement is a major reason why so many organizations are trying to quickly implement knowledge management systems right now. If you're facing a baby-boomer generation that's about to walk out of the door, it makes sense to start collecting their experience first.

Key Points

Knowledge management is becoming increasingly important to organizations. Having an effective knowledge management system not only protects revenues, it may also improve retention, increase productivity, and promote innovation.

Knowledge management systems should try to implement a two-part approach: using a database or wiki to collect explicit knowledge, and connecting colleagues to one-another to share tacit knowledge.